


ne me quitte pas (dont leave me)

by sunbean72



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, I didn't plan on it being this bad tbh, I need something kind rn, I was already crying but this made it worse, TIL i'm lame, Whumpy probably, and someone should probably take my laptop, and when I'm sad I write sad, finds a way, i cried, i probably should erase it, like always, likely, oh it's sad, this is mean, tony stark finally gets a hug, uh, when I'm happy I write sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-27 17:45:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13885902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunbean72/pseuds/sunbean72





	ne me quitte pas (dont leave me)

James Rhodes had died.

He'd taken hundreds of alien minions and mortally wounded one of the Black Order.

He'd died on his own terms. He'd died protecting the world, the country, the people, the person he loved and cared about. it was purposeful. He could have avoided it, but there was no telling how many lives would have been sacrificed in exchange. The carnage was already unimaginable, and there really wasn't a choice. 

Tony had only had a moment, too brief for words to be shared. He'd grabbed Rhodey's hand and Rhodey had gripped it tightly, tight enough Tony felt pain from it, pain he wished would last forever and never heal but in the next moment the grip relaxed and James Rhodes had died from massive trauma. As the light faded from his eyes, Rhodey didn't look afraid, but he did look sorry. He looked like he wanted to apologize. 

For leaving Tony. 

It's not like

They hadn't realized it could, probably would, end like this. They'd gone to MIT together, and when Rhodey went ROTC and was getting every grant and scholarship available because of his talent and expertise, they'd had a conversation then. That it would be risky, it was the military, it was active duty combat. Rhodey never flinched from it.

But Tony had, 

even then

and that more than his dad had pushed him into the weapons business. It would have happened anyway, sure, but Tony was committed. Committed. He was going to make weapons that killed the bad guys before they could kill the good guys, before they could kill Rhodey.

He'd tried so hard

for so long.

He wasn't sure 

anymore.

He couldn't take one more step.

His arm was broken; he knew what broken bones felt like. He had a concussion; he knew what having a brain injury felt like. His best friend was dead; he knew what grief felt like.

He knew what fear felt like. 

"Mr. Stark?" He hadn't felt a hand on his shoulder. Not through the armor. Not with all the other, more demanding sensations of pain, and Friday couldn't tell him, not with his faceplate up. He couldn't see through the haze of pain and grief and tears for a moment, then a face swam into focus. Concerned. Sad. Also grief.

Everyone here was grieving. 

Everyone here had lost someone. Thanos would destroy them all, maybe, but he'd kill them a thousand times first. With loss, unimaginable loss. 

He'd never seen nor met this person in his life, but the two of them understood each other perfectly. They shared something terrible, terrible. A few other people had picked their way over the ruins; they'd seen War Machine fall. A firewoman, covered in soot and wounds. A man holding a woman, so tightly, not even daring to let her go for a moment. A woman with her little girl. All of them bearing injuries. All of them bearing something much worse, a loss that could not be made up, could never be returned. 

He'd tried so hard.

He'd

He'd 

tried.

There was still a fight to fight, but he couldn't get up off his knees. He felt pressed down, as if a giant hand with the weight of the world behind it were crushing him--

Arms went around him. With the armor on, all he could feel of it was the texture of the clothing (soft) and the soft warmth of the person under the clothes, against his cheek as he was held. It took him 

it took him

it took him a moment to realize he was being embraced, and he pushed back for a moment, just for a second, and stepped out of the suit because he thought this person was going to die, he wasn't going to be able to stop it, all of them were going to die together soon, today, probably, or maybe in a couple of hours, they'd all be like Rhodey and he wanted to apologize, he wanted to embrace them, he'd be damned if he didn't at least-- 

he wanted to tell them how hard he tried but he thought just maybe they already knew--

The woman. The firewoman, she touched his shoulder and turned him. She set his broken arm and wrapped it, splinting it as best she could which wasn't much, but it hurt less now. He wrapped his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head.

The group of them, the small crowd, less than a dozen

they stood there

they didn't speak

they held hands and they embraced each other, feeling the pressure of their bodies, their touches, their shared humanity. 

Someone behind him, someone to his side. He had someone under each arm, and everyone had arms around each other. "Thank you, Tony. Thank you, Iron Man," he heard some of them say, he thought he heard them say.

"We love you, Iron Man," the little one said. "It's okay."

He didn't know what that could possibly be in reference to, but his heart twisted almost with relief. It was okay. It would be.

It was so cold outside their embraces, and he got back in the battered suit. He couldn't feel their touches anymore, but he could see, they all reach out to him, to reassure him, to reassure themselves. 

"I'll stay with your friend. I promise." The man nodded, assuring Tony as best he could. He didn't have anyone left, maybe, that he could be with. He would be with Rhodey for Tony's sake. 

Tony rose in the air, heading back to the fight. It was not a fight he thought he would win

but it was worth the fighting of. And he would never

never

he would never stop 

until 

his

last

breath.


End file.
